Supreme Court judgment sound in law but INEC failed Nigerians – Adegboruwa

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa has reacted to the judgment of the Supreme Court which affirmed the victory of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the duly elected President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Adegboruwa, in a statement, said the verdict of the apex court “is sound in law and accords with the relevant statutes on the issue.”

The lawyer, however, said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) disappointed the expectation of Nigerians due to its failure to upload election results on iREV portal.

He said this was also affirmed by the Justices of the Supreme Court who held that the failure of INEC led to loss of public confidence in the electoral process.

He called on the National Assembly to amend the Electoral Act to engender and entrench transparency in the election process.

He also faulted public office holders for “abandoning their official duties to attend court proceedings.”

“The Supreme Court held that failure by INEC to upload election results on iREV leads to loss of public confidence in the electoral process.

“The Court however held that such failure will not lead to the nullification of election results. The judgment is sound in law and accords with the relevant statutes on the issue.

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“What then is the penalty for the electoral umpire that failed Nigerians upon its own voluntary undertaking? Because INEC is still busy assuring Nigerians that future election results will be transmitted electronically.

“It is left for the National Assembly to amend the Electoral Act 2022 to give us transparent elections. We cannot continue in this fashion.

“Presently, INEC has continued to assure Nigerians that the off-cycle elections for Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi governorship elections will be conducted electronically and the results uploaded on INEC iREV portal.

“The use of technology is to prevent manipulation of election results. I urge INEC to help Nigeria by keeping to its guidelines and public statements and undertakings.

“So many public officers attended court to listen to the judgment, leading to loss of manpower. When a politician is appointed into a public office, he ceases to be partisan but becomes an officer of the federal republic.

“Public officers abandoning their official duties to attend court proceedings in which they play no official role should be discouraged.

“The National Assembly should set up a special committee to scrutinize the judgment of the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court for the purpose of amending the Electoral Act 2022.